Saturday, November 20, 2010

Christmas is just round the corner and hopefully you would have finished all your christmas shopping by now. For those who are still wondering, don't lose hope. Here is a list of the top 10 hot toys for your kids this Christmas 2010. Every year the markets are flooded with new and hot toys for kids during this holiday season. Check them out. You may just find the perfect gift for your kid right here, just a click away..so don't waste anymore time. The most popular and hot toys for Christmas 2010 are given below.

For all kids who are in love with Harry Potter and crazy about all things to do with Harry Potter related characters this would be the perfect gift. With the release of the latest Harry Potter movie this gift would be much in demand, and therefore highly recommended. It is available online at Amazon and the prices range from as low as $10.00 to as high as > $500. So pick the one that would suit your budget and kid. To check out the whole range of Lego Harry Potter Sets click on the link.

For older kids who are into video gaming, the Xbox 360 (250 GB) console with Kinect is available on Amazon for $450. The console can be attached to your current Xbox. It is wholly voice-activated, has a 3-D camera and microphone that comes alongwith the system. Kids can run in place and throw objects as the games respond to both voices and movements, and turning it off is as simple as anything else inside this virtual world. A simple “Stop” command does the trick. Ain't that cool? So check out the Xbox console Kinect..

This is definitely one of the hot toys for kids this Christmas. Comes in three colors, pink, blue and silver and available on Amazon for $69.99. Ideal gift for preschoolers as it helps them develop skills within the world of reading comprehension skills, early numerical skills, develops creativity, improves phonics, writing and even spelling. A combination of great activities to help your child in almost every aspect of early childhood development. It’s a fun way to learn and the smart choice to help with kindergarten readiness. So check out all the Fischer-Price iXL Learning Systems including their software and some accessories at this link.

Kids seem to love things that make noise, much to the annoyance of their parents..well you may not "dig" this toy but I can assure you it will be a hot choice for your kid. These small cute toys sing every time they are squeezed and what's more, when you put them together they can work with each other to recreate great songs. Available on Amazon in many attractive colors red, blue, yellow, pink and even hot pink and their price ranges from $11.92 - $16.82..So take your pick. Check out all the varieties of the cool Fischer-Price Sing-A-Ma-Jigs here...

This year Mickey seeems to have ousted Elmo as the favourite dancing toy for Christmas season. The hot new toy for your kid this Christmas will definitely entertain all through the year. This Fischer-Price Dance Star Mickey can walk, talk, and dance and several other things as well to keep your kid entertained. Watch Mickey come to life right before your eyes. With multiple songs, interactive activities, and silly humor, Mickey is sure to knock your socks off. Available online at Amazon for $89.49. So don't wait anymore, grab one before they all vanish...Fischer-Price Dance Star Mickey.

Following the earlier Zhu Zhu Pets which were generally milder and for girls, these Kung Zhu Pets are rowdier. They are available in two different teams - The Special Forces and the Ninja Warriors and they each come with their own accessories and playsets to help them engage in battle...Available in Amazon for prices ranging from $12.74 - $29.99. Check out the whole range of toys available in this series of Kung Zhu Pets.

Who doesn't love the star wars clones and figures. Get the perfect Christmas gift for your kid. The LEGO company has come out with some great Star Wars Sets that will enthrall your kid and keep them entertained. There is a whole range of them that are available on Amazon from a little over $10 - >$500...Choose the ones that suit your budget and kids..You can choose battle sets, tanks, mini figures, starfighters and many more...Check out the LEGO Star War Sets here.

If you select this toy, it is sure to be one of the hot toys for Christmas 2010. Another perfect chrostmas gift for your kids. The NERF toys have serious power that most kids are looking for and the handle acts as a bipod so that your child can get stability and range with every shot. The NERF N-Strike ECS comes with bonus darts and is fully automatic. A storm of darts can be unleashed from the extended 18-dart clip and reloading can be done in a hurry with three spares. Your child is sure to dominate any battle he encounters. Available on Amazon for $51.89...Check out all the others in the series too..The NERF N-Strike ECS along with accessories.

Bigfoot lives upto his name by its size of 14 inches, and what's more it is a "little" Monster with a "BIG" personality. For kids who love HUGE presents, this one will be the perfect Christmas hot toy. He can be real fun as he walks, talks, throws a ball, chews, burps and exercises. Yeah a toy does that too. Funny world, ain't it? That's not all, he can emote too..Oh yes, he gets angry, happy and sleepy too at times...What fun. Kids can bring him to life with an easy-to-use wireless remote control. The symbols on the buttons show you what BIGFOOT will do when you push them -- no reading required. Available on Amazon for a price of $84.99, BIGFOOT includes one (9.6Volt) NiMH rechargeable battery and battery charger. Remote Control requires 2 AA alkaline batteries. So, grab your Imaginext Bigfoot Monster today..Hurry!!

The V.Reader could be the perfect hot gift for christmas for kids of the ages 3-7 year old. eReader Systems are the top choice for adults and may now be considered as one of the hot toys for Christmas 2010 too. The Animated E-Book System by VTech is an interactive digital learning toy that encourages young kids ages three to seven years to learn to read and improve their vocabulary and reading skills. Know more about this vTech V.Reader Animated E-Book system at the link provided. Available on Amazon for $54.00 and includes V.Reader device, V.Reader pen, V.Reader Storybook cartridge, soft cleaning cloth, USB cable, user's manual.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Search Engine Optimisation - Handbook of Easy Tips Tools and Techniques is a book written by Varinder Taprial and Priya Kanwar is ready for distribution to all the major bookstores across the country, so look out for it. Available online at Pustak Mahal.com website.

This book tries to deconstruct the enigma which surrounds Search Engine Optimisation. While website owners find the topic overwhelming, most SEO experts overly abuse the ignorant to make money. Have you invested time or money in a website or a blog and yet find no visitors coming to your website or blog? The reason may be that your website or blog is not optimised for search. But don't rush and hire the first self-proclaimed SEO expert yet. Most of the improvements or modifications that are required can be handled by you or by your website developer. This book will help with

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Lit Agency, the Mumbai based literary agency has started a Manuscript Review Service for authors. The idea behind the service is to help authors polish their manuscripts before they send it off to the publishers for consideration. The reasoning behind starting the service is very simple. With the ever increasing “Slush Pile” (unread manuscripts), the publishers have no qualms in rejecting manuscripts and do not even consider helping the authors to improve the manuscript to get them to publishing standards. And why should they, when so many other manuscripts are waiting for their consideration?

“Writing is a very lonely job,” says Varinder Taprial of Lit Agency, “The author has no one to help him improve the manuscript, since opinions of friends and family are often biased and unqualified. Moreover the author himself has read the manuscript so many times that he is generally not in a position to pick up errors, inconsistencies and deficiencies by himself. We want to fill that void in the author’s life, by providing an unbiased critical appraisal of the manuscript and also areas for improvement.”

With the Manuscript Review Service the agency hopes to enhance the chances of manuscripts and prospective authors with the publishers.

Lit Agency is a Mumbai based Literary Agency run by Varinder Taprial and Priya Kanwar, who have co-authored three books. Along with the Manuscript Review service, the agency also provides assistance to authors wanting to publish books as Print on Demand or e-books.

For all those anxious people who fear going to the dentist, there is good news in the form of “laser dentistry,” which is quickly growing in popularity among the dental fraternity, as well as the patients, as it is rapidly enhancing the dental procedures, making them more effective, quicker to perform, and much more comfortable and painless. There are many dentists today who have incorporated laser dentistry techniques for precise dental care and treatments. “It is estimated that 6 percent of general dentists own a laser for soft-tissue applications, with that number expected to increase over time.” As more dentists embrace this technology in their offices, its cost will decrease further.

Understanding Lasers and Its History

Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation and is a device for generating a high-intensity, ostensibly parallel beam of monochromatic (single wavelength) electromagnetic radiation. It works by emitting light that delivers quick pulses of heat energy to the treatment area. In dentistry, different wavelengths are used depending upon the type of tissue being treated. Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: Wikimedia Commons

Therefore, laser dentistry can be a very precise and effective way to perform many dental procedures depending upon the dentist’s skill, which involves controlling the power output and duration of exposure on the tissue, thereby allowing the treatment of a highly specific area of focus without damaging the surrounding tissues.

It was Albert Einstein who first theorized about the process called "Stimulated Emission," which makes lasers possible, in the year 1917. Thereafter, the word “laser” was first used by Gordon Gould, a doctoral student at Columbia University under Charles Townes, the inventor of the maser.

In 1964, Kumar Patel invented the Carbon Dioxide Laser (CO2), which was the first gas laser to produce high power radiation continuously. This invention proved to be the most useful in the field of science and today has brought about more major breakthroughs, due to its diverse practical applications in the field of medicine and industry, than any other type of laser.

Although it was in 1960 that laser was developed and sanctioned for soft tissue procedures, the use of lasers in dental procedures (gums) first gained approval by the FDA or Food and Drug Administration in only the early 1990s and was soon followed by its application on hard tissues like bone and teeth in the year 1996. In 1997, FDA approved the erbium YAG laser for the treatment of sustained tooth decay, on dentin. Since then, laser dentistry has seen many more improvements and has widened its scope of applications.

Application Of Laser Dentistry

Laser dentistry utilizes a high-energy beam for the treatment of hard and soft tissues in the oral cavity and can be used for cosmetic dentistry procedures as well. The technique is precise, less invasive, faster, painless, patient recovers faster and also negates the use of sutures (stitches) or anesthesia when compared to traditional dentistry and the application of drills.

There are two types of lasers approved by the FDA, one for the soft tissue procedures (gums) and one for the hard tissue procedures (teeth). These can be used for treatments in both children and adults.

Hard tissue lasers have a wavelength that is highly absorbable by the hydroxyapatite and water, thereby making them more effective in cutting tooth structure. Hard tissue lasers include Erbium YAG and the Erbium chromium YSGG.

Soft Tissue Lasers havea wavelength that is highly absorbable by water and hemoglobin, thereby making them more effective in soft tissue management. The common soft tissue lasers used are Nd: YAG and diode lasers, which have the ability to kill bacteria and activate the re-growth of tissues thereby facilitating its use in periodontal treatment.

(Planned incision in a low-power intermittent mode allows for greater control for incision placement. Image Courtsey : Dr Anisha Maria, Prof. Dept of Oral Surgery, Modern Dental College and Research Centre, Indore.)

There are many uses of lasers in the field of dentistry.

Detect early cavities

Cavity removal

Teeth whitening

Cosmetic Dentistry

Gum reshaping

To seal tubules which decreases and/or eliminates the uncomfortable sensitivity of teeth.

Can be used for hardening bonding materials used in fillings

To remove bacteria from periodontal pockets

Minimise bleeding in surgical procedures

Minimise bacterial infections during surgical procedures as the high-energy beam has a sterilizing effect on the area worked on.

Dental lasers may be used to quickly reduce pain and inflammation of the temporomandibular jaw joint.

Dental lasers may be used for the painless and suture-free removal of benign tumours from the gums, palate, sides of cheeks and lips.

Photobiomodulation can be used to regenerate damaged nerves, blood vessels and scars.

Optical Coherence Tomography is a safer way to see inside tooth and gums in real time.

Laser applications in the field of dentistry allow dentists a wide variety of dental procedures that may not have been possible otherwise, and they are now able to incorporate a state-of-the-art precision technology into a number of common and not-so-common dental procedures. Lasers have quickly become indispensable in the field of dental surgery as a modality for the treatment of soft tissue surgery. They not only allow surgeons to enhance current surgical options for treatment, but also have contributed to the evolution of a variety of new procedures. With further development of newer, more versatile, and more specifically-absorbed laser wavelengths, new clinical applications will undoubtedly arise.

For more information about “laser dentistry”, check out these links: -